Heavy metal resistance in E. coli isolated from pigs

This project will explore resistance to heavy metals in an Australia-wide collection of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from pigs.

Zinc and other heavy metals such as copper are often used as an alternative to treating post-weaning diarrhoea in pigs.

Resistance to multiple antimicrobials is often a feature of Australian isolates of porcine ETEC and this project will explore evidence for co-selection of both heavy metal and antibiotic resistance on multidrug-resistance-encoding plasmids.

The successful applicant will be encouraged to apply for a Pork CRC or APL Honours scholarship. This project will be located at the School of Biological Sciences in the Molecular Life Science building, North Terrace campus.